Krampus

This alternate Christmas tale is more cheesy than frightening

A boy loses his Christmas spirit and summons Krampus, a horned evil Santa Claus from German folklore who comes down the chimney delivering punishment instead of presents. But don’t expect a horror movie. Michael Dougherty’s dark comedy is PG-13 and is more cheesy than frightening. Krampus himself may be slightly terrifying, but his plentiful sidekicks seem pulled from the recent Goosebumps movie, designed to elicit laughs, not screams, from the kids. The film also seems to aim to be the dark version of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Lots of similarities to that classic, such as: the advent calendar counting down the days, a burned-down Christmas tree in the living room, and the gathering of dysfunctional relatives. Only Krampus’ crazy uncle isn’t as funny as Cousin Eddie, and the whole tale is better suited for casual TV viewing.